The current invention relates to a food and beverage dispenser for dispensing liquids and more particularly to a food and beverage dispenser for dispensing beverages, and liquid foods such as soups through a spigot mounted in a wall of the dispenser.
There are a number of different types of beverage dispensers utilized for containing and dispensing beverages and/or liquid foods. Such beverage dispensers typically are comprised of a dispenser body for containing the liquid and a dispenser lid for sealing against the dispenser body. A spigot is generally mounted in the body to dispense the liquids held within the body. The dispenser lid generally has a groove in which a seal is removably mounted. When the dispenser lid is placed on the dispenser body, the seal will engage the dispenser body. The lid is typically pulled downwardly by latches so that the seal will engage the dispenser body to provide a leak-proof seal between the dispenser lid and the dispenser body. The latches generally include a lever portion that is pivotally mounted to a wall of the dispenser body and a hook portion that is pivotally mounted to the lever portion. The hook portion will engage the lid so that when the operating lever or lever portion is rotated downwardly, it will cause the lid to be pulled downwardly to create a leak-proof seal. There are a number of different latch configurations and prior art dispensers. Prior art dispensers may include two latches on opposite sides of the dispenser body for a total of four latches or may simply include a single latch on each side so that the dispenser has two total latches. In any event, the prior art manner of sealing the lid to the body comprises pulling the lid downwardly with latches so that an elastomeric or other sealing ring is pulled into sealing engagement with the dispenser body. Prior art dispensers described herein work well and generally will provide a leaf-proof or at least a substantially leak-proof seal between the dispenser lid and the dispenser body. Such dispensers, however, utilize a number of working parts including the latch levers, latch hooks, in addition to the pins needed to attach the hook to the latch, brackets to attach the latch to the dispenser, and often require molded-in metal backup plates. In some circumstances, it may be desirable to have a dispenser with fewer working parts and with no metal parts that will provide the desired sealing arrangement. The current invention provides such a beverage dispenser.